Sophy Miles

Barrister at Doughty Street

About Me

Called to the Bar in March 2015, Sophy qualified as a solicitor in 1989. She was a founding partner at award-winning firm Miles and Partners LLP where she led the mental health and capacity team for 16 years, before becoming a consultant in 2012. As a solicitor she has been involved in significant human rights cases brought under the inherent jurisdiction and in the Court of Protection (JE v DE and others, [2006] EWHC 3459 (Fam); Hillingdon v Neary [2011] EWHC 3522 (COP)).
Sophy’s practice at the Bar spans the full range of mental capacity law, and includes personal welfare, international adult protection, medical treatment and property cases, as well as challenges against deprivation of liberty authorisations. She advises in all areas of mental health law, where her long experience as a mental health solicitor gives her a practical understanding of the issues.
Sophy regularly advises on public law challenges arising under community care legislation, and civil actions under the Human Rights Act where there is a mental health or mental capacity element. She is frequently instructed on behalf of vulnerable adults and their families, and increasingly by statutory bodies as well.
Sophy has an interest in inquest and inquiry work which arises from psychiatric or social care settings and looks forward to developing her practice in this area.
She chairs the Law Society’s Mental Health and Disability Committee. She is an accredited mediator (Regent’s University London). She regularly trains on the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity Act and on the Court of Protection.